The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade Ilesanmi, spoke while handing over 4,014 cans loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol, that were recovered from vandals at Majidun, to officials of the Nigerian Nation Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the command headquarters, Apapa.
“As you know, the federal government has been confronted with the challenge of combating illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism. These illegal activities have not only led to significant loss in revenue, but also damage to strategic installations which require colossal amount of money to repair.
Pipeline vandalism has led to pollution of the maritime environment and in some cases, fire disasters resulting in the loss of lives and property,” he said.
He added: “Particularly worrisome at this time are Manidun, Arepo, Ogolonto and Makoko in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State. These communities are renowned for illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism. The perpetrators use self-propelled barges and wooden boats to ferry stolen products to their destinations. They are usually armed to confront anyone who attempts to stop their operation”.
Admiral Ilesanmi said in view of the criminal activities around those areas, an operation code named, Awatse, meaning to scatter in English, was conducted to dislodge the perpetrators. He revealed that the opera-tion which was an initiative of the Nigerian Navy had the support of the Army.
He said the operation will continue until the entire area is cleared.
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